Kharif sowing area at record level due to favorable monsoon conditions

Mumbai, Ta. Saturday, August 29, 2020

By the end of this week, the country's kharif sowing has reached an all-time high of 104 million hectares. Crops with high planting area are also expected to land bumpers. According to preliminary estimates, the current kharif season will see a harvest of 127 million tonnes.

Earlier in 2016, there was an all-time high kharif production of 102 million tonnes. Inflation is expected to go down in the country due to high kharif production. The Reserve Bank has set a target of keeping inflation between 6 and 7 per cent

Since April this year, retail inflation in the country has been above 5 per cent. Inflation has risen due to higher food prices. The prospect of record kharif crop has raised concerns among farmers as prices of agricultural products are falling in such a scenario.

The kharif sowing of the current year is 2.16 per cent higher than the same period last year and 1.50 per cent higher than the average of the last five years. Corona has also increased the availability of farm labor in rural areas, which has led to faster planting.

Rice is still being sown in some parts of the country while pulses, pulses, oilseeds and millets are almost complete.